Domestic appliance and method for reducing a moisture level in a treatment space

Abstract

The invention relates to a domestic appliance (1) having a treatment space (3) which can be closed by means of a door (2) and is intended for items to be treated (3), having a moisture sensor (6), which is intended for measuring a moisture level in the treatment space (3), having at least one functional unit (8-16), which reduces the moisture level in the treatment space (3), and having a control device (17), which is coupled to the moisture sensor (6) and is designed to calculate a measure of the moisture level on the basis of at least one moisture-level measured value that is measured by the moisture sensor (6) and is designed to carry out a drying process by activating at least one moisture-level-reducing functional unit (7-16) when the measure of the moisture level reaches a predetermined threshold value, wherein the control device (17) is also designed to monitor the moisture-level measured values at specific time intervals outside a treatment process for the items to be treated (G), also to calculate in each case a current measure of the moisture level and to initiate the drying process if the measure of the moisture level reaches the predetermined threshold value. The invention can in particular be advantageously used for cooking appliances, in particular with a steam-treatment function.

Description

[0001] Household appliance and method for reducing humidity in a treatment room

[0002] The invention relates to a household appliance, comprising a treatment chamber for items to be treated, which can be closed by means of a door, a humidity sensor for measuring a humidity in the treatment chamber, at least one functional unit reducing the humidity in the treatment chamber and a control device coupled to the humidity sensor, which is designed to carry out a drying process by activating at least one humidity-reducing functional unit based on at least one humidity measurement value measured by the humidity sensor.The invention further relates to a method for reducing humidity in a treatment chamber of a household appliance that can be closed by a door. In this method, humidity readings are measured in the treatment chamber, a current humidity level is calculated based on this at least one humidity reading, and a drying process that reduces the humidity in the treatment chamber is triggered when the current humidity level reaches a predetermined threshold. The invention is particularly advantageously applicable to cooking appliances, especially those with a steam treatment function.

[0003] Ovens, especially steam ovens, steam cookers, and other household appliances, can retain residual moisture in their chambers after use. If this moisture is not removed, it can lead to corrosion problems or hygiene issues such as mold growth or bacterial growth over time (e.g., hours or days).

[0004] EP 3 771 866 A1 discloses a cooking appliance comprising a cavity into which the items to be cooked are placed, a heating device for heating the cavity, a door providing access to the interior of the cavity, a liquid inlet for introducing liquid into the cavity, an air outlet pipe connecting the cavity to the external environment, a first sensor arrangement for detecting the relative humidity within the cavity, and a fan for driving the circulation of air between the cavity and the external environment. The cooking appliance further comprises a second sensor arrangement for detecting and measuring the relative humidity of the air outside the cooking appliance, i.e., the relative humidity of the external environment. A control unit is provided within the cooking appliance, the control unit controlling the operating function of the cooking appliance, including, but not limited to, timing, cooking, cleaning, and drying.The control unit is configured to supply energy to the fan and the heater by a predetermined amount, wherein the predetermined amount depends on the difference between the measured values ​​of the relative humidity of the first sensor arrangement and the second sensor arrangement.

[0005] EP 3 667219 A1 discloses a method for performing a drying function after a cooking function, in particular after a steaming function, the method comprising the steps of: performing the cooking function or steaming function for a predetermined time or manually terminating it by the user; detecting and / or calculating at least one parameter value after termination of the cooking function or steaming function; comparing the detected and / or calculated parameter value with a corresponding threshold parameter value; checking whether the drying function is required; and executing the drying function if required.

[0006] DE 10 2017 117237 A1 discloses a cooking appliance with a heatable cooking chamber that can be closed by a cooking chamber door, and with a conditioning device fluidically connected to the cooking chamber for drying air from the cooking chamber. The conditioning device is suitable and configured to suck a batch of air from the cooking chamber and transfer it to a drying unit, dry the batch of air using the drying unit, and return it to the cooking chamber after the drying process.

[0007] DE 10 2017 117230 A1 discloses a cooking appliance with a cooking chamber that can be closed by a cooking chamber door and with a heating device for heating the cooking chamber and / or for emitting high-frequency radiation into the cooking chamber during a cooking process for preparing food. A drying device is provided which is suitable and designed to execute a follow-up program after the end of the cooking process, in which condensate accumulated in the cooking chamber is evaporated by the heating device and removed from the cooking chamber. The drying device is suitable and designed to execute the follow-up program only if a monitoring device determines that there is no food in the cooking chamber and that the cooking chamber door is closed.

[0008] It is the object of the present invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular to provide an improved possibility of reducing excessive humidity in a treatment chamber of a household appliance.

[0009] This object is achieved according to the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments can be found in particular in the dependent claims.

[0010] The task is solved by a household appliance, comprising

[0011] - a treatment room for items to be treated that can be closed by a door,

[0012] - a humidity sensor for measuring humidity in the treatment room,

[0013] - at least one functional unit reducing the humidity in the treatment room and

[0014] - a control device coupled to the humidity sensor, which is designed to calculate a humidity measure based on at least one humidity measurement value measured by the humidity sensor, and

[0015] - which is designed to carry out a drying process by activating at least one moisture-reducing functional unit when the moisture level reaches a predetermined threshold value, wherein

[0016] - the control device is designed to determine or monitor the moisture measurement values ​​at specific time intervals outside of a treatment process for items to be treated, to calculate a moisture level in each case and to trigger the drying process when the current moisture level in particular reaches the predetermined threshold value (hereinafter also referred to as "time-controlled triggering" without restriction of generality).

[0017] This drying function has the advantage of preventing excessive humidity levels in the treatment room, which could lead to corrosion or hygiene problems, regardless of treatment processes performed immediately beforehand. In particular, "around-the-clock" monitoring can be configured, which can trigger a drying process even if a treatment process took place some time ago. However, a drying process is only started when necessary, which increases user comfort and saves energy. In general, reducing the humidity in the treatment room and drying the treatment room can be used interchangeably. Accordingly, the drying process can also be referred to as a humidity reduction process.

[0018] The household appliance can in principle be any household appliance, in particular a large household appliance. In one embodiment, the household appliance is a cooking appliance, in which case the treatment space is a cooking space and the item to be treated is typically food or foodstuffs. The invention is particularly advantageous for this purpose, since hygiene problems can arise particularly quickly in cooking spaces due to moisture together with food residues. This applies in particular if the household cooking appliance has a steam treatment function, e.g. an oven with a steam treatment function or a standalone steamer. However, the household cooking appliance can generally be an oven, a microwave oven, a steamer or any combination thereof.Other household appliances can be, for example, dishwashers (the item to be treated is then typically dishes) or laundry care appliances (the item to be treated is then typically laundry) such as washing machines, tumble dryers or washer-dryers.

[0019] The humidity in the treatment room is particularly a relative humidity, specifically air humidity.

[0020] A functional unit that reduces humidity in the treatment room can be understood, in particular, as a functional unit that is designed to specifically bring about a noticeable reduction in humidity in the treatment room. A functional unit that reduces humidity in the treatment room can be understood, in particular, as a functional unit that, when activated and / or adjusted, causes or can cause a noticeable reduction in humidity in the treatment room. Possible humidity-reducing functional units can, depending on the type of household appliance in question, include, for example: - at least one energy input unit (radiator, microwave generator),

[0021] - Extraction or cooling fans (e.g. vapor extractors) for extracting the treatment room atmosphere,

[0022] - Additional fan for blowing ambient air into the treatment room,

[0023] - Recirculation fan, e.g. for recirculation or hot air operation,

[0024] - automatic door opener,

[0025] - Fan damper(s), etc. A condensate trap may be present in at least one ventilation path or duct between the treatment room and the environment.

[0026] A humidity measure is understood, in particular, to be a value that represents a measure of the humidity and / or an increase in humidity in the treatment room. The humidity measure can be the measured humidity itself or a value calculated or derived from one or more measured humidity values. A humidity value can be directly measurable or derivable from at least one other sensor value. For example, a lambda probe can be used as a humidity sensor, which originally measures the oxygen content in the treatment room, from which the humidity in the treatment room can be determined.

[0027] Depending on the formulation, reaching the specified threshold can be understood as reaching or exceeding the threshold, meaning that for a moisture level F, the condition F > Fth with Fth equal to the threshold is met. However, depending on the formulation, it can also be understood as meaning that for a moisture level F, the condition F < Fth applies. The condition F = Fth is also possible.

[0028] Measuring at specific time intervals may include measuring at specific points in time.

[0029] The fact that the control device is configured to monitor the humidity measurement values ​​can also be expressed as being configured to determine the humidity measurement values ​​or to measure the humidity. The fact that the control device is configured to monitor the humidity measurement values ​​"outside of a treatment process" includes, in particular, that the time-controlled triggering is not carried out or is not carried out completely (e.g., without triggering the drying process) while a treatment process is running. This achieves the advantage that the time-controlled triggering cannot influence a treatment process. In other words, a treatment process cancels the time-controlled triggering while it is being carried out.It is a further development that the treatment process also includes a dehumidification phase (different from a drying process) without any items being treated in the treatment room, in particular immediately following the treatment of the items to be treated.

[0030] It is a further development that the threshold corresponds to a desired target humidity value. It is a further development that the threshold is higher than a desired target humidity value. This provides the advantage of taking into account a possible ventilation after the humidity-reducing functional unit(s) are switched off, in which case the treatment room continues to be dried for a certain period due to the continued operation of these functional units. If the drying performance of the humidity-reducing functional unit(s) is known, the threshold can advantageously be dependent on the type of drying process.

[0031] In one embodiment, the control device is configured to continuously monitor the moisture readings at specific intervals outside of a treatment process, calculate the current moisture level from this, and conditionally initiate the drying process. In other words, in this embodiment, the time-controlled activation cannot be switched off or deactivated by a user. This can also be referred to as "user-unswitchable" or "non-user-switchable." This offers the advantage that a user can no longer override this type of drying function, thus reducing corrosion / hygiene problems.

[0032] It is a further development that the time intervals, and thus the entire time-controlled triggering, are not user-influenceable. It is a further development that while the time-controlled triggering cannot be deactivated by the user, the time intervals can be set or changed by the user – within reasonable limits. This allows the user to advantageously adjust energy consumption. Alternatively, the user can also deactivate or disable the time-controlled triggering.

[0033] It is a further development that the determined or predetermined time intervals are regular time intervals. It is a configuration that the time intervals follow one another at least every half hour, especially every hour. This is particularly advantageous for energy savings and still allows for effective drying even when humidity increases occur outside of a treatment process. In particular, the time interval can be between half an hour and four hours. However, the time interval can also be shorter than half an hour, e.g., one minute, five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc.

[0034] In one embodiment, the control device is configured to monitor the specific time intervals even during energy-saving mode of the household appliance, to calculate the current moisture level and compare it with a predefined threshold, and then, when the moisture level reaches the predefined threshold, to initiate the drying process, particularly from the energy-saving mode. In particular, this advantageously enables "around-the-clock" monitoring with low energy consumption. The energy-saving mode can, for example, be a so-called standby mode, in which, in particular, time-controlled monitoring and calculation are used as a routine. Especially for longer time intervals such as half an hour, the additional energy consumption required for this is negligible.Initiating the drying process from energy-saving mode can involve waking up the household appliance from energy-saving mode and performing the drying process when the humidity level reaches the specified threshold (i.e., exactly reaches, reaches or falls below, or reaches or exceeds). Once the drying process is complete, the household appliance can return to energy-saving mode. Standby mode (also referred to as standby mode or waiting mode) is understood to be a state of the household appliance in which the actual functional function(s) is temporarily deactivated, but can be reactivated at any time and without preparation or extended waiting times.In one embodiment, the control device is configured to perform the time-controlled triggering only during energy-saving mode, in particular standby mode, of the household appliance. This means that it monitors the specific time intervals only during energy-saving mode, calculates the current humidity level, compares it with a predefined threshold, and then triggers the drying process when the humidity level reaches the predefined threshold. This advantageously avoids influencing all possible user- or program-controlled or activated operating sequences, such as cooking processes, preheating processes, user- or cooking-program-activated dehumidification phases, pyrolysis processes, etc.

[0035] It's a further development that the humidity measure is relative humidity. This is advantageously particularly easy to calculate.

[0036] One embodiment is that the humidity measure corresponds to a single humidity measurement, which is particularly easy to implement. One embodiment is that the humidity measure corresponds to an average of several humidity measurements, particularly those measured consecutively in time, for example, calculated according to a moving window. The use of an average is particularly advantageous for suppressing temporal fluctuations and outliers.

[0037] In one embodiment, the control device is configured to set the threshold value such that a target humidity value corresponds to an individual humidity measurement or average value measured immediately before the last treatment process. This achieves the advantage that the treatment room can be lowered to a target humidity value that at least approximately corresponds to the ambient humidity before the last treatment process. This takes advantage of the fact that when the household appliance is not used for a longer period of time, the humidity in the treatment room often adapts to the ambient humidity. In this embodiment, too, the threshold value can correspond to the target humidity value or, taking into account a lag, can be higher than the target humidity value.

[0038] In one embodiment, the humidity level corresponds to a positive gradient in the humidity measurement values ​​over time. This allows a particularly rapid and / or unusual increase in humidity to a potentially harmful level to be detected and avoided with particular precision. In particular, this has the advantage of being able to distinguish between a slight increase in humidity in the entire living space or at the installation site and a more significant increase in humidity caused by water in the treatment room. The drying process is then only triggered when the more significant increase occurs. With this embodiment, it can be advantageous to keep the time intervals between two humidity measurements shorter, e.g., between 30 minutes and 60 minutes.

[0039] One embodiment allows the threshold to correspond to a fixed value, e.g., a table value stored in a table of a data storage device. A further development allows the table value to be specified depending on the installation location (e.g., a specific country or region), a season, and / or a time of day. The table value can then correspond to a coordinate of a multidimensional set of curves.

[0040] It is an embodiment that the control device is designed to terminate the drying process when the moisture level

[0041] - reaches the same threshold at which it was triggered, in particular falls below it,

[0042] - reaches a calculated threshold, in particular falls below it,

[0043] - remains at least essentially constant, ie, apart from small fluctuations, for a certain period of time.

[0044] This has the advantage that the drying process is only carried out for as long as necessary, which increases user comfort and promotes energy savings. During the drying process, the humidity in the cooking chamber continues to be measured, advantageously at a higher measurement rate or shorter intervals, particularly in the range of seconds, e.g., every one to ten seconds.

[0045] If the household appliance additionally has a humidity sensor for measuring ambient humidity, or if the household appliance is data-linked to such an ambient humidity sensor, for example, to a humidity sensor of a weather station, e.g., via Bluetooth, WiFi, etc., the control device can be configured to terminate the drying process when the difference between the air humidity measured in the treatment room and the ambient humidity falls below a specific threshold, i.e., when the air humidity measured in the treatment room and the ambient humidity have sufficiently approached each other. Accordingly, a drying process can also be triggered when the difference between the air humidity measured in the treatment room and the ambient humidity reaches, or in particular exceeds, a specific threshold.The "environment" here refers specifically to the space surrounding the household appliance, e.g., a kitchen for kitchen appliances, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the "environment" can also be understood as an external environment, e.g., outside a house. In this case, it can also be advantageous to obtain ambient humidity values ​​from external sources, e.g., retrieving weather station values ​​from the internet, etc.

[0046] In the event that the moisture level used to trigger the drying process corresponds to the positive gradient of the time course of the moisture measurement values, it is an advantageous embodiment that the control device is designed to terminate the drying process when

[0047] - a humidity measure corresponding to a single measurement or an average of individual measured values ​​reaches a certain threshold value, in particular falls below it, i.e. F < Fth,i applies, and / or if

[0048] - a moisture measure in the form of a particularly absolute value of a negative gradient or a decrease in the moisture profile reaches a certain threshold value, in particular falls below it, i.e. F < F t h,2 holds, in particular at least approximately zero, i.e. F = 0 or F » 0 holds.

[0049] If the curve shows a negative gradient or a decrease, especially if it is still above the humidity threshold, the drying process remains activated. While the drying process is being carried out, the humidity in the cooking chamber continues to be measured in this embodiment, advantageously at a higher measurement rate or shorter time intervals, e.g., between one and ten seconds. The humidity threshold used here can correspond to a humidity threshold for triggering the drying process, but this is not necessary. Of course, the thresholds for the individual comparisons or conditions can be different.

[0050] In one embodiment, the control device is configured to adjust the type of drying process depending on at least one differential humidity relationship. This advantageously allows for particularly fast or energy-saving drying. The type of drying process can differ, for example, by the selection and / or number of humidity-reducing functional unit(s) used, their performance, etc. A differential humidity relationship is understood in particular to be a difference between two or more humidity values ​​or a derivative of a curve of humidity values, for example, a difference between the measured (actual) humidity and the desired target humidity, a sharp or slight increase in the humidity curve, etc.For example, the drying performance of the drying process can be set higher by do, the higher the difference between actual and target humidity and / or the greater the gradient.

[0051] The object is also achieved by a method for reducing humidity in a treatment chamber of a household appliance that can be closed by means of a door, in particular as described above, in which

[0052] - humidity values ​​are measured in the treatment room at certain time intervals (temporarily) outside of a treatment process for the material being treated,

[0053] - based on this at least one moisture measurement value, a current moisture measure is calculated and

[0054] - a drying process that reduces the humidity in the treatment room is triggered when the current humidity level reaches a predetermined threshold.

[0055] The method can be designed analogously to the household appliance, and vice versa, and has the same advantages.

[0056] The properties, features, and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more easily understood in connection with the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which is explained in more detail in conjunction with the drawings. Fig. 1 shows, as a sectional side view, a sketch of a household appliance according to the invention in the form of an oven 1 with an additional steam generation function. The oven 1 has a treatment chamber in the form of a cooking chamber 3 for items to be treated, e.g., in the form of food G, which can be closed by means of a front door 2.

[0057] To implement the steam generation function, the oven is equipped with a steam generator 4, here a steam generator 4 arranged outside a muffle 5. The oven also has a humidity sensor 6, which here projects into the cooking chamber 3 or is located there, for measuring a relative humidity in the cooking chamber 3.

[0058] The oven 1 has several heating elements for heating the cooking chamber 3, namely electric resistance heating elements in the form of a bottom heat element 7, a top heat element 8, a grill heating element 9 and a ring heating element 10. The ring heating element 10 is arranged in the area of ​​a circulating air wheel 11, so that when the ring heating element 10 is activated and the circulating air wheel or fan 11 is driven by a drive motor 12, hot air operation is possible.

[0059] The oven 1 also has a vapor extractor 13 with a closing flap 14 and an extractor or vapor fan 15, as well as a door opening mechanism 16 for automatically opening the door 2 by a gap and automatically closing the door 2. The heating elements 7 to 10, the recirculation wheel 11 (with drive motor 12), the vapor extractor 13 with a closing flap 14 and vapor fan 15, and the door opening mechanism 16 represent functional units that reduce the humidity in the cooking chamber 2, either alone (e.g., the vapor extractor 13 with an open closing flap 14) and / or in combination (e.g., the vapor extractor 13 with an open closing flap 14 and a running vapor fan 15, or the door opened by the door opening mechanism 16 with a driven recirculation wheel 11 and / or activated heating elements 7 to 10).

[0060] The oven 1 also has a control device 17, which is coupled to the humidity sensor 6 and can receive humidity measurements measured by it. The oven 1 is also configured to control the steam generator 5, the heating elements 7 to 10, e.g., to activate and deactivate them and adjust their heating output, the drive motor 12 of the circulating air fan 11, the shutter 14 and the vapor fan 15, and the door opening mechanism 16.

[0061] The control device 17 is further configured to calculate a moisture level based on at least one moisture measurement value measured by the moisture sensor 6 and to perform a drying process by activating at least one of the moisture-reducing functional units 7 to 16 when the moisture level reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold. The control device 17 monitors the moisture levels at specific intervals, e.g., every 30 minutes, outside of a cooking process, calculates a current moisture level in each case, and initiates the drying process when the moisture level reaches the predetermined threshold.

[0062] In particular, this conditional time-controlled triggering of the drying process is also carried out or only carried out during standby operation, i.e. not during a user- or program-controlled operating sequence such as a cooking process, a dehumidification phase immediately following it, preheating, pyrolysis operation, etc.

[0063] In particular, the control device 17 can check whether a positive gradient or increase in the measured humidity values, particularly only during standby mode, reaches or exceeds a (triggering) threshold. If this is the case, the drying process is initiated or started. The type and / or drying performance (e.g., concerning heating output, rotational speed, opening angle, etc.) of the humidity-reducing functional units 7 to 16 can be variably selected by the control device 17 and optionally also changed during the drying process. In particular, the type and / or drying performance can be adjusted depending on at least one differential humidity relationship.

[0064] The drying process is terminated and, in particular, the system returns to standby mode when a (termination) threshold value of the humidity in the cooking chamber 2 and / or a (termination) threshold value of a negative increase or decrease in the course of the humidity measurement values ​​is reached or undercut, in particular if the humidity measurement values ​​do not change or no longer change significantly.

[0065] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.

[0066] In general, "a", "an", etc., can be understood as a singular or a plural, in particular in the sense of "at least one" or "one or more", etc., as long as this is not explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression "exactly one", etc.

[0067] A numerical value may also include the exact number stated as well as a usual tolerance range, as long as this is not explicitly excluded.

[0068] List of reference symbols

[0069] 1 oven

[0070] 2 doors

[0071] 3 Cooking chamber

[0072] 4 steam generators

[0073] 5 muffles

[0074] 6 Humidity sensor

[0075] 7 bottom heat radiators

[0076] 8 top heat radiators

[0077] 9 grill heaters

[0078] 10 ring heaters

[0079] 11 Recirculation wheel

[0080] 12 Drive motor

[0081] 13 Vapor extraction

[0082] 14 Closing flap

[0083] 15 steam extractors

[0084] 16 Door opening mechanism

[0085] 17 Control device G Food

Claims

Patent claims 1. Household appliance (1), comprising - a treatment room (3) for items to be treated (3) which can be closed by means of a door (2), - a humidity sensor (6) for measuring humidity in the treatment room (3), - at least one functional unit (8 - 16) reducing the humidity in the treatment room (3) and - a control device (17) coupled to the humidity sensor (6) which is designed to calculate a humidity measure based on at least one humidity measurement value measured by the humidity sensor (6) and - which is designed to carry out a drying process by activating at least one moisture-reducing functional unit (7 - 16) when the moisture level reaches a predetermined threshold value, wherein - the control device (17) is further configured to monitor the moisture measurement values ​​at specific time intervals outside of a treatment process for the item to be treated (G), to calculate a current moisture level in each case and to trigger the drying process when the moisture level reaches the predetermined threshold value.

2. Household appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the control device (17) is designed to permanently carry out the monitoring, the calculation and the conditional triggering.

3. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the time intervals follow one another at least every half hour, in particular every hour.

4. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (17) is designed to monitor the determined time intervals even during an energy-saving operation of the household appliance and to compare the current humidity level with the predetermined threshold value and then, when the Humidity level reaches the specified threshold to trigger the drying process.

5. Household appliance (1) according to claim 4, wherein the control device (17) is configured to monitor the determined time intervals only during the energy-saving operation and to calculate the current moisture level and to compare it with a predetermined threshold value and then to trigger the drying process when the moisture level reaches the predetermined threshold value.

6. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the humidity measure corresponds to a single humidity measurement value or an average of several humidity measurement values.

7. Household appliance (1) according to claim 6, wherein the control device (17) is further configured to set the threshold value such that a target moisture value corresponds to an individual moisture measurement value or average value measured immediately before the last treatment process carried out.

8. Household appliance (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the humidity measure corresponds to a positive slope of a temporal course of the humidity measured values.

9. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the threshold value corresponds to a fixed predetermined value, in particular a value predetermined by a location, a season and / or a time of day.

10. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (17) is designed to terminate the drying process when the moisture level - reaches the same threshold value at which the drying process was triggered, in particular falls below it, - reaches a calculated threshold, in particular falls below it, - remains constant for a certain period of time.

11. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (17) is designed to terminate the drying process when - a moisture level corresponding to an individual measurement or an average of individual measured values ​​reaches a certain threshold value, in particular falls below it, and / or if - an absolute value of a negative gradient of the humidity curve reaches a certain threshold value, in particular falls below it, in particular becomes at least approximately zero.

12. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (17) is configured to adjust the type of drying process depending on at least one differential moisture relationship.

13. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the household appliance (1) is a cooking appliance.

14. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one moisture-reducing functional unit (7 - 16) comprises at least one unit from the group - at least one energy input unit (7 - 10), - cooling fan (11), - Additional fan (15), - hot air engine, - automatic door opener (16), - comprises at least one fan flap (14), etc.

15. Method for reducing humidity in a treatment chamber (3) of a household appliance (1) which can be closed by means of a door (2), in which - at certain intervals outside of a treatment process for material (G), moisture values ​​are measured in the treatment room (3), - based on this at least one moisture measurement value, a current moisture measure is calculated and - a drying process which reduces the humidity in the treatment room (3) is triggered when the current humidity level reaches a predetermined threshold value.

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